The Origins of Museums: The Cabinet of Curiosities in Sixteenth-and-Seventeenth-Century Europe
The Origins of Museums: The Cabinet of Curiosities in Sixteenth-and-Seventeenth-Century Europe
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- Editors: Oliver Impey and Arthur MacGregor
- Pages: 352
- Size: 8.9 × 11.2 in
- Illustrations: 108 illustrations
- Publisher: Ashmolean Museum
- Publication Date: December 11, 2017
- Binding: Hardcover
History Today carried a feature in 2015, describing The Origin of Museums as "a cult book [that] spawned a new discipline in the history of collecting". Indeed, the first publication of this book in 1985 undoubtedly marked a propitious moment in the development of interest, in what has since grown to be a dynamic subject-area in its own right. That an appetite for such matters was already there is confirmed by the fact that the first impression sold out within a few months, a second impression a year or two later, and the third in 1989. There was to be no further printing by the original publishers, Oxford University Press. However in 2001 a new edition appeared with a new publisher. Demand again proved buoyant, but within a few months the company failed; having operated on a print-on-demand basis, it left behind it no unsold stock. The Origins of Museums reverted to a scarce (though much sought-after) volume. With original copies now selling for hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, the Ashmolean is proud to make this important volume readily available again.
